Tag Archives: pool

Many of the advertisements that you see on search engines are not what they appear to be , many claiming to be experienced in the art of billiard fitting for snooker and pool tables are just agents passing on work to qualified people , they then take a commission out of the price for passing on this work . this applies mainly to Pool table operators who recover pool tables passing on information to proper time served billiard fitters who are then hit with a commission fee or sub contract to the middleman for a fixed labour fee.
When looking for experienced people to work on youre cue sports table , always do some home work , ask if they or an EMPLOYEE ( not subcontractor ) will be doing the work or passing the information onto a third party .
At GCL BILLIARDS we are fully experienced billiard fitters for working on any cue-sports table , UK POOL , AMERICAN POOL , OLD BILLIARD TABLES , and modern SNOOKER TABLES , BAGATELLE AND BAR BILLIARDS , the best way to find out if the person you are talking to is fully qualified in the art of Billiard fitting , is to ask technical questions , such things as pocket sizes and cushion rubber height , table height , History of tables etc , difference between tables made in periods significant changes where made such as pocket plate design , slate first used , what was used before rubber etc .
GCL BILLIARDS will not overcharge for their service , a pool table recover starts at £185 , a Full size snooker table £430 club cloth £450 Tournament cloth , and we only use top graded strachan cloth unless the customer prefers another choice .
we will point out we are not the lowest price , yet we are also not the dearest price , we try and stay within £20 of our equal competition , that extra £20 is for Experience , and safe in the knowledge that your table is in safe hands and that we are using top quality materials not seconds as some do .
And you can be assured you will have the work carried out by a TIME SERVED billiards fitter . *** with no added commission or middlemen charges.***GCL billiards do not subcontract to other firms and we do not use sub contract fitters , we have our own identity and our own fitting standards based on 42 years experience , we do not want to assist another firm who do not have the same experience have that skill and compete against us in our market sector , it would be like letting someone in on our area and helping them establish themselves using our 40 year experience and skills as a spring board ,
and say to them HERE YOU ARE TAKE OUR WORK AND WE WILL WORK FOR YOU !
Our main area covers from Sheffield to Northampton and East coast to Stoke on Trent , we do further than this but we like to remain a Billiards firm that concentrates at least 90% of its clientele in the midlands .
I am constantly refusing subcontract work for other firms on a monthly basis as they try to muscle in on our area .
Most of these firms that contact us are just keyboard firms using subcontractors around the UK to form a business of which they pay peanuts to the firm and pocket a good percentage for themselves .
they have no experience in Billiards / Snooker & pool table fitting apart from what they have read on the internet or from books .
I do take on the odd table sale from other firms say from Scotland , that require a fitting service if they have sold to a client in my area , but that is about as far as I will let other firms into my area and to compete against us .
My advice to anyone seeking a skilled firm for their snooker or pool table re-cover is to look at that firms past work and standing within the Billiards fitting community .
Geoff Large of GCL Billiards has over 42 years personal experience of Billiards fitting from early antique Billiard tables to modern day Billiard tables that are mainly designed for the game of Snooker .
We also have a vast experience on Pool tables renovation , from UK pub type tables to 9ft american pool tables .
Brunswick 9ft pool tables at Butlins Skegness maintained by GCL billiards
Sam american K steel pool tables installed by GCL billiards .

DOUBLE 8 POOL our rental side of GCL Billiards are looking for two second hand 7 foot Supreme winner pool tables , they must be coin operating tables and mechanical coin operation type not battery operated although the battery type may be considered .
prefer Black finish cabinets , but we cannot be too fussy so mahogany oak beech or even white will do .
Remember we are trade and can get the tables at a competitive price new , when we buy these tables we have to take into account the cost of pick up ( van and two men ) and delivery back to base , plus new cushions and re-cover . and new balls and cue’s etc
we normally get the tables in like the second photo below with all stains on the cloth plus dead cushions .

If you have a Supreme winner or even a Prince coin op table or tables for sale then contact Geoff on 07753466064 if I am busy leave a message I will get back to you , also email c.large@btinternet.com

These two tables are for a special low rental short 6 month period, we normally put brand new tables into establishments that we think will have a long rental period from us , so with the low rental agreement or high risk premises from damage ,we are not putting our brand new tables into these establishments , so we are looking for tables to refurbish , if you have say a batch of 6 of these tables in need of restoring with new cushions and cloth we will also consider buying all 6 . all we ask is the cabinets are in good cosmetic order and the slate is in good condition .
Torn or stained cloth or dead rubber is not important we can replace these items .
Remember we are looking for COIN OPERATING tables only !

Well back to the grind of work , and we have had a few job’s come in while I have been away and a few enquiries for work going forward .
I must say the last year has been very busy and we hope the next year will be just as good , I was ready for the holiday and have recharged my batteries .
The next week kicks off with 5 stretch bed cloths and two pool table re-covers, then a full size table dismantle to bring downstairs , so enough to keep me busy nearly all week there , plus the following week we have Re-rubber + Re-cover of full size , more pool tables to re-cover , and a re-cover in Northampton for a new client with multiple tables and multi venue’s so that one may turn out to be a good for GCL Billiards , adding a new Client with that many tables is a Bonus , but take note we apply the same standards for clients with multi tables to one who has just one , we will never rush a job .
The van has been sign written and wrapped while I was away on holiday and I must say it realy looks good , with it’s Large Pool ball livery on each side and a snooker theme on the back doors .
Many thanks to Adam Maltby at Blueprint for designing the wrap , I can highly recommend this firm http://www.blueprintnottingham.co.uk/the-team/ who also sponser my local sports team the nottingham panthers ice Hockey Club of which I have been a long time supporter since they reformed in 1980 .

Call me old fashioned , but read the following . ( if it ain’t broke don’t fix it )

Don’t Laugh , but I renewed my Phone contract just before I went away on holiday for a new fangled smart type touch screen phone a shiny new Sony Experia , well that did not last long , the sim was taken out and put back into my Trusty Nokia 6320i which is over 9 years old and still going strong after many drops from the van and even one underwater experience of a down stairs loo and then dried out in a bag of rice , how people put up with those touch screen phone’s with multi tasks is beyond me , it always annoys me when I see young people and Adults playing games on them or are glued to the internet on a tiny screen , young un’s should be playing Football and Cricket or playing cuesports , useing their eye’s for skills rather than these multi game computers put on a tiny screen . This is why so many Snooker club’s are closeing , young people hang around on street corners messageing the girl or guy 6 feet away or stay in bedrooms playing on X box’s or their smart and i phone’s on facebook , and why use the internet on them , when they can do that on a full sized screen on a lap top or PC. and not ruin their eyesight ? No wonder so many young people wear glasses straining their eye’s at such a small screen ! Doctors even have a name for the condition it’s called iPhoneitus and is the cause of many migraines and headache’s , but the phone industry is booming at the moment and I guess they have to keep bringing out phone’s with all these gimmicks on to keep it that way , todays invention is tommorows antique as they say .
all I want a phone for is to make and recieve calls and text plus Bluetooth hands free conection for the van , the 10 year old Nokia will do it to perfection .
I had to laugh though at the young salesman’s face in the phone shop when I asked him for a sim card converter to put the tiny sim back in the Nokia after just 3 days use .
So if anyone wants a Brand New BOXED ( only 3 day very light use ) Sony Experia latest model only been out Five weeks I have one for sale @ £150 . salesman says it will go for £150 easy and it is on O2 but has no sim and in White. but it has a added data card 8GB which cost me extra .
here is a link to one on youtube phone Geoff on 07753466064 if you want it , cash on collection.
check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZFABCH26Lw and for toughness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE79SD9xtRomy choice , If it ain’t broke don’t fix it !

Due to my OTHER HALF booking a holiday in our favourite resort in Tenerife, she has forced me into a break, even though the phone is still ringing with work coming in. So we will not be available from Tuesday of next week the 2nd of July right through to Friday the following week, the 12th of July. But my daughter is manning my mobile phone and the home phone for any work that may come in for the remaining FREE DAYS of July and August. I would like to thank Steve and the Nottingham Snooker Academy for letting me move the recover dates for the 3rd recover so this enabled myself and Carol to jet off for some much earned sun and sea plus our favorite watering hole the Whisky Jar pub.

Yesterday I had a repeat booking for a full size table recover in Nottingham. This venue has a re-cover every 8 months on a full sized snooker table. They have three tables and rotate the recover so that they get one done every 2 years, one per 8 month period. We also service the other two when we are there.
Today my new van had to go back in to have a noisy fuel pump replaced, but they ordered the wrong pump so have to wait another day. I am in a little Astra van until I get the Movano back.

I have just agreed to have the van sign written with pool balls on the side and a snooker theme on the rear, have a look at the photos of the final design.
The van is being sign written and wrapped when I am away on holiday, so look out for our bright design on the road. We are sure to get noticed with this art work, and it is all free advertising.

This week we started off with re-covering two winner supreme pool tables with best Strachan 6811 all wool napped cloth. On removing the old cloth we found the slates were in a bit of a mess with the overspray of glue. The previous person who covered the slates went mad with the over spray all over the top of the slate, this bonds the cloth around the pockets, but can leave a ridge that the ball stops on when aproaching the pocket.

At GCL Billiards we do not use spray on glue, we prefer to bond our cloths with contact adhesive using a comb to put the glue on the slate edge and the underside of the cloth, taking care not to get any where a ball may roll off, it will take longer but is the best way to do it.

Have a look at the following photos to see what we found and how we sorted it.
As you can see a right mess, if we re-covered new cloth over this, the ball would not run true. GCL Billiards will always clean it off, unlike some speed fitting firms who have to get a large amount of tables done in a day to pay themselves and their middlemen. They just recover straight over it, which is very bad workmanship.

You can just about see the date of the slate here. Have a look at the next photo, we stripped the glue off using a chemical and then lightly sanded the slate.
The slate is now fully clear of cloth and glue residue. A ball has no obstructions under the new cloth for it to suddenly turn direction or stop.

I spent a full hour stripping the mess off these two slates and an hour and half taking extra long staples out of the cushions, 8 mm long when 4 mm would have done the job.
The two pool tables, winner supremes in black, the cloths ready to be glued on.
The finished tables ready for league play with their best quality Strachan 6811 cloth on. These tables get very hard use and have to be re-covered every 4 months.

A month ago the nearest one got broken into. They crow barred the cash box off, so we have fitted two siren alarms onto the tables, with two warning lights, one near the coin mech, the other near the cash box. Also the Pub’s alarm has been upgraded and extra sensors put into the area to cover the window where they broke in. The new siren alarms on the tables are very loud and work off their own internal battery system. Recording cameras have also been put into the area. The thieves got away with no money as the coin boxes are emptied each night, they just damaged the tables cash box and fixings.

As you can see GCL Billiards really went to town on these two tables, spending 6 hours on the pair of them and improving their looks, playability and security. If you want the best for your table, get the best firm in to do the work …GCL Billiards every time !

We are billiard fitters first and foremost, trained on full sized snooker tables as well as American pool and UK pool tables. We treat pool tables with the same care and attention we take when working on a full sized table. We are not speed fitters and always do a first class job. We may be £10 to £20 dearer than some firms, but we use the best materials, Strachan 6811 and 777 cloth and the best work ethics. Is saving that £10 to £20 better than a first class job ? We can do it at a lower price, just ask for the lower priced cloth they use, we can get it! (I am only joking, we would not touch inferior cloth). As Tina Turner sang, we simply fit the best. Steer clear of speed fitters and get GCL Billiards in for a proper job. We do not charge VAT so take that into account too.

Today (Saturday) I have been over to Leicester to re-cover a 6ft Supreme Prince pool table. The client bought the table from a Manchester based ebay seller who refurbish tables.

On stripping down the table I found that the cushion rubbers were different to each other. This set of cushions were a miss match from other tables, just put together to make a sale without having to renew the rubber. There was a mixture of black and red rubber on this table. The client was complaining that the cushions were not responding and that at least one had almost no rebound value. Also one end cushion woodwork was crumbling.

This was a case of taking the cushions back to our workshop and totally renewing the rubber and fixing the crumbling cushion. With new rubber fitted and woodwork made good, the table was then re-covered using genuine Strachan pool cloth.

GCL BILLIARDS WILL NEVER BODGE IT AND SCARPER. We always do the job right, unlike the person who sold this table to our new client. We had to make two trips to put this table right, returning the cushions on Sunday!

And we didn’t charge the client any extra and that’s because we want repeat custom. The next time this table comes up for any work, I am sure GCL Billiards will be contacted as the cue sports firm of choice, because we care about our reputation.
This experience should be a warning to anyone looking to buy a second hand pool table, always ask about cushions and try the table out to see if there are any dead cushions. The table came in at £395 + delivery when bought off ebay, but add a £185 for Strachan quality cloth re-cover and a new set of rubber fitted and shaped at £80 and the total paid will come over £660. Just a little more and the client could have bought a brand new table.

Another thing to look out for is fitters arriving to re-cover a table with cushions already covered and ready to fit. They take your good cushions away only to leave you with bad cushions. Always on a re-cover insist they recover your cushions and refit them. GCL Billiards always re-cover the client’s own cushions. We only swop cushions over if they require renewing with new rubber or total new cushions from the manufacturer of the table. We then have cushions in stock for such a change over, but always leave one uncovered for the client to inspect that it is new rubber. I also stamp every cushion that we re-rubber with a GCL Billiards stamp and date it.

The for sale section on GCL Billiards’ blog (which are all FREE advertisements) is working, at least for 3/4 sized tables, two sold within the last week. GCL Billiards do not make a penny from these sales, we just hope we get the work for moving and setting up the tables.

The new high frequency cool white lighting is receiving plenty of interest from people for use above their cue sports tables.

We also have to finish off the last two American pool table moves from Mansfield to Alfreton this week.

Servicing on Friday and working on Saturday in Leicester recovering a pool table. We really are that busy and it’s summer, a time when it should be slack in the cue sports industry.

We have more work coming too, table instalations, re-covers, re-polishing, re-rubber work, nets and leathers etc.

It will soon be August and then September when the work really picks up for the winter leagues.
Both the above tables have been sold from our free advertisement service for clients who recommend GCL Billiards as the firm to move the table once sold.
New lighting is the way to go. Most clubs have now seen the light and are ditching the old coffin shades to make way for a much better lighting system for cue sports. The high frequency cool white lighting reduces shadow. The white light is better for the eye and your game gets better from using it. It is also better for the fitter’s eye when he is re-covering the table. After years of working under bad light I can now see so much better when working under these new lights. Also the lighting is hung higher above the table, which also lights up the surrounding areas for the cleaner. We aim for 5 foot above the playing surface as the optimal height to fix the lighting.

Having been solid for work for the last 11 months (time has flown by).

I am ready to start the month of June with a large amount of work already booked in, including two pool table re-covers and another full size snooker table to re-cover at the Nottingham Snooker Academy. A full size snooker table to dismantle in Skegness and two more full size tables to re-cover in Nottingham.
A new van has been ordered to reduce the hassle of moving full sized snooker tables. We used to rent the vans out for these removal jobs, but now we are fully equipped in-house to do it ourselves. This makes for less wasted time collecting and returning hire vans and we can be on a job as early as 6am ready to start, rather than at the hire van company coming out with a van by 9.30am.

My smaller van was capable of moving anything up to a 10ft snooker table, but just could not manage a full size 12 foot table. The new van is equipped to carry 1610kg, well within the weight limits of a full size snooker table plus tools plus two men. I got a fantastic deal on the new van discount wise and a good part exchange price for the old van.

We will be sign writing the new van up with a special photo wrap and sign writing, so look out for us on the road.

The second week we will be moving 6 x 9ft Sam K steel American Pool tables and re-covering them in speed cloth 3 red 3 purple.

The third week of June we are fitting light units, relocating a table and possibly a re-cover on a full size.

If anyone requires work doing in June and July we still have a few days left to fill for work. Please contact Geoff on 07753 466064 or by email c.large@btinternet.com

Snooker or pool tables re-covered and re-rubbered. we also supply. Cool white light high frequency cue sports lighting this lighting is sweeping the country at the moment , replaceing those coffin shades . our sister company double eight pool for Pool table Contract hire etc.